


After Umbara - The Time to Heal

by everlightly



Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Post-Episode: s04e07 Darkness on Umbara, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) Spoilers, Umbara (Star Wars)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-29
Updated: 2020-02-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:33:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22956448
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/everlightly/pseuds/everlightly
Summary: After the campaign on Umbara, Captain Rex has to debrief Jedi General Anakin Skywalker on the tratior, General Krell. However, with the trauma of his actions still fresh in his mind, Rex finds himself distrusting the Jedi.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 123





	After Umbara - The Time to Heal

Captain Rex stands on the bridge of the star cruiser. He stares down at the planet Umbara, now under Republic control. He is a soldier, used to the stress and trauma that comes with war. He was built for this.

And yet every time Rex closes his eyes, he sees clones attacking clones. His heartbeat thuds in his chest when he remembers seeing the faces of his brothers dead by his gun. His hands still shake as he remembers taking off the helmet, and the treachery of Jedi General Pall became clear. It’s not from sadness that these memories make his heart pound and his hands tremor. It is from hatred.

The doors to the bridge whir open, and Fives announces, “General on the bridge, sir!”

Rex pulls his eyes away from the shadow world below as Anakin Skywalker and Padawan Ahsoka Tano enter.

Ahsoka waves as they approach. “I hear you told Skywalker you would have Umbara secured by the time we got back. Mission accomplished, Rex.”

Rex looks down at the young jedi, and for the first time, he feels distrust. His eyes flicker over the lightsabers they carry at their belts.

Straightening his shoulders, Rex looks towards his Jedi. “Have you been briefed on the situation, sir?”

Skywalker’s eyes narrow. “I heard from Obi-wan about treason among your ranks, but he said that he still wasn’t sure of the details and I was to get the briefing from you.”

“Treason?” Ahsoka’s eyes widened. “What happened down there? You tell me who’s responsible and I will take them down.” She taps her fingers against her belt, next to her two lightsabers.

Rex shuts his eyes briefly, trying to block out memories of his brothers’ screams cut short by the sound of a lightsaber slicing through their chests.

Anakin shifts slightly, somehow picking up on Rex’s emotions, in that weird way Jedi do. Rex never realized how intrusive that felt until this moment. He snaps, “Ahsoka! Watch your attitude. This is nothing to joke about.”

“But Master, I—”

“Go to the hanger and oversee the transport of injured clones to the hospital base. I’ll debrief the captain,” Skywalker orders.

Ahsoka lets out an exasperated sigh, and spins around on heel to exit the bridge. Anakin turns to his captain. “Whenever you’re ready, Rex.”

Rex nods, and glances around at the sergeants on deck, all eyes turned to him.

None of them know yet, and to be honest, Rex doesn’t want to be the one to tell them. He doesn’t want to look in their eyes when they realize that he has fired and killed their brothers.

“Fives, with me,” Rex orders. We’ll debrief the General in the war room.”

***

As soon as the doors shut, Skywalker crosses his arms. “Is what happened on Umbara still sensitive information that we needed privacy?”

“Not exactly, sir,” Rex begins.

“Has the traitor been caught?”

“Yes, sir. Caught and executed.”

“Executed? By who’s orders?”

Rex straightens his spine. “Mine, sir.”

“Where was General Krell in this? Was he aware of the traitor?”

Rex squeezes his eyes shut, and again he hears the thrum of lightsabers and flashes of blue and green glow under his eyelids.

Rex feels Fives’s hand on his shoulder. “General Skywalker, it was General Krell who was caught and executed as a traitor.”

Anakin freezes, looking first at Fives, and then at Rex’s closed eyes. He unfolds his arms and leans against the center table. “What did he do?”

Rex opens his eyes and moves forward, and Five’s hand falls from his shoulder. “At first, he was just reckless with his troops. He would order us to full frontal attacks, needlessly risking the lives of good men.”

“His casualties are known to be high,” Anakin says. “But that’s not a reason to execute him.”

Fives snarls, “Do you doubt us, sir? Do you doubt we had reason to kill him, without evening knowing what he did?” His voice breaks slightly on the last word, and Anakin’s eyes widened.

“No, Fives, of course not. I am hear to listen. Tell me what General Krell did.”

“He pitted two legions against each other,” Rex says, but his voice is quiet. “He told both sides that the Umbarans had acquired our weapons and armor and would try to deceive us. Then he sent us into battle against our own brothers.”

Fives speaks up. “Waxer was leading the other legion. He told us this, before he died.”

Anakin’s hands tighten into fists on the table.

Rex continues, “We went to arrest Krell and he turned on us. He killed… so many men. In the end Tup was able to stun him and we put him in the brig.”

“Was he separatist?” Skywalkers demands.

“No, sir. He… he said he was on no one’s side but his own. He had foreseen a future where the Republic falls to the Sith, and he was preparing to follow Count Dooku’s path.”

“And so you executed him.”

“Sir, he had threatened to reveals extremely sensitive information to Dooku,” Fives protests.

“That wasn’t an accusation, Fives. I can see why it had to be done.”

Silence falls over the men. Rex’s eyes close again, and he is holding his gun at the kneeling Krell, who’s taunts still echo through his head.

“This is very disturbing information,” Skywalker says at last. “You will likely have to testify before the Jedi Council, Rex. They will want any information you have on this Jedi traitor.”

Rex opens his eyes and nods. “Of course, sir.” He glances to his side, where Fives stands, eyes downcast. “You also need to know, sir, there were a few other situations concerning disobeying Krell’s orders.”

Anakin waves his hand. “Rex, you were there. I trust you entirely to handle your men as you see fit, with it being noted about the… unique circumstances regarding a traitorous general.”

Fives lets out an empty laugh. “So I’m hoping that means Jesse and I won’t be court martialed, Captain?”

Rex sets his helmet down on the table. “No, I suppose you won’t. But get out of here before I reconsider it.”

“Yes, sir!”

“I hope to get the full story of how we ended up with three Umbaran ships in my hangar, Arc Trooper,” Skywalker calls after him.

“Yes, sir!” Fives salutes, and then exits the war room.

Anakin turns back to Rex. “I can sense there is more you wish to tell me.”

Rex feels a chill trickle down his spine, and that spark of distrust flickers again. “Jesse, Fives and Hardcase went rogue in order to take down an Umbaran supply ship. They went against Krell’s orders. Hardcase died in the fight, but when Jesse and Fives returned… Krell ordered them to die by firing squad, sir.”

“I can tell this was a difficult campaign, Rex.”

Rex sneers, “Through the _Force_ , sir?”

Anakin pauses, and a look of pain crosses his face. “No. I can see it easily enough in your eyes. You look haunted.”

“Sir, I am a clone. I am trained to manage the stressors of war,” Rex says. He takes a breath and closes his eyes. “But Umbara was my living nightmare.”

“You’re finding it difficult to trust me, as a Jedi?” Anakin asks.

“You have led my men with regard for their humanity and with respect for the Jedi way. But I don’t understand how any jedi could forsake that of their creed.”

“Neither do I, Rex. Neither do I.”

Again, Rex is holding up the body of a brother he had killed, and the darkness of Umbara encroaches on the edges of his vision, a darkness like a plague, threatening to send him into madness.

“I will work on releasing a statement to the Jedi Council and the rest of the army.”

“Sir, how am I suppose to look my brother’s in the eyes knowing that my gun was turned against them?”

Skywalker moves forward and rests his hand on Rex’s shoulder. “You were deceived by the Sith. You can’t blame yourself,” he says softly. He turns to leave. “I’m going to let the council know that the 501st will need some time to recover. There are always supply runs to be done.”

“Sir, we don’t need to be treated like a batch of shinies.”

Skywalker looks over his shoulder. “You and your men need time to heal. Your wounds are still fresh, those that are visible and those that are harder to see.” He rubs his prosthetic wrist and turns to leave.

“Yes, general.”

As the doors close, Rex sets his helmet on the table and rests his head in his hands for a long time.

**Author's Note:**

> This episode always haunted me after I watched it first premiere, and as I rewatched the series (before the new season 7 comes out!) I find myself thinking more and more about the time after Umbara, and the headspace Rex and the other soldiers must have been in after the battle that revealed Krell as a traitor. So I tried to explore what that might look like in this brief story.


End file.
